Scotland head coach Vern Cotter has made 11 changes to the side that beat USA for the game against South Africa in Newcastle this weekend.

There is a sense that Cotter is keeping some of his bigger names on ice for the Samoa clash in the final round, that will likely be a straight shoot-out for qualification.

Finn Russell has not recovered from a knock to the knee suffered last weekend, so Duncan Weir makes his first tournament start at fly-half. Mark Bennett and John Hardie both carry niggles so are not risked – Richie Vernon starts at centre and Blair Cowan, only called up to the squad on Monday, is named on the openside flank.

Gordon Reid gets his first start at loosehead prop while Fraser Brown’s mobility is preferred to Ross Ford’s stability at hooker. The Gray brothers are the engine room duo, while Josh Strauss is named on the blindside flank against the country of his birth.

Stuart Hogg becomes the only Scotland player to start all three games so far, and he is joined in the back three by Tommy Seymour and Tim Visser.

SCOTLAND TEAM TO PLAY SOUTH AFRICA

15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 35 caps; 9 tries, 2 pens, 51 points?
14Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 caps; 8 tries, 40 points
13 Richie Vernon (Glasgow Warriors) – 22 caps
12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) – 31 caps; 4 tries, 20 points
11 Tim Visser (Harlequins) – 22 caps; 10 tries, 50 points
?10 Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors) – 20 caps; 2 tries, 6 cons, 9 pens, 1 drop, 52 points
9 Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Gloucester) – 43 caps; 3 tries, 51 cons, 92 pens, 393 points
?1 Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors) – 12 caps
2 Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 12 caps
3 Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 5 caps; 1 try, 5 points
4 Richie Gray (Castres) – 48 caps; 2 tries, 10 points
5 Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 16 caps; 1 try, 5 points
6 Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors) – 2 caps
7 Blair Cowan (London Irish) – 13 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
8 David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby) – 29 caps

?Replacements:?

16 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 91 caps; 2 tries, 10 points
17 Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 49 caps; 2 tries, 10 points
18 Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons) – 9 caps; 1 try, 5 points
19 Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 14 caps
20 Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby) – 7 caps
22 Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 12 caps; 1 try, 1 con, 1 pen, 10 points
23 Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) – 98 caps; 14 tries, 70 points